The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of Colocasia commonly known as the taro plant or elephant ears. Colocasia is grown as a food crop or for use as an ornamental for container or the landscape. The new cultivar is known botanically as Colocasia esculenia and will be referred to hereinafter by the cultivar name ‘HAWAIIAN EYE’. ‘HAWAIIAN EYE’ is one of is one of five co-pending applications by the inventor relating to new cultivars of Colocasia. The other four co-pending applications are titled Colocasia. plant named ‘Blue Hawaii’ (U.S. application Ser. No. 12/006,576), Colocasia plant named ‘Hilo Bay’ (U.S. application Ser. No. No. 12/006,474) Colocasia plant named ‘Diamond Head’ (U.S. application Ser. No. 12/006,579) and Colocasia plant named ‘Pineapple Princess’ (U.S. application Ser. No. 12/006,581).
Colocasia is a tuberous rooted perennial which is native to tropical Asia and Polynesia. It grows to 1.5-2 m in height from starchy tubers. The leaves of Colocasia are heart-shaped and very large in size. The tuberous roots are cooked and eaten as a starchy staple in many tropical areas. It is also grown as ornamental plants for the landscape in warmer climates or as a container plant in colder areas.
The new Colocasia variety named ‘HAWAIIAN EYE’ is the product of a formal breeding program carried out in a cultivated area in Kula, Hi. The purpose of the breeding program is to develop new commercial varieties by combining attributes not found in currently commercially available varieties.
‘HAWAIIAN EYE’ is a seedling selection from the controlled pollination between the female parent an F1 hybrid line (not patented) from a cross between breeding line ‘2001-52’ (not patented) and breeding line ‘2002-41’ (not patented) and male parent, F1 hybrid line (not patented) from a cross between breeding line ‘2000-132’ (not patented) and breeding line ‘2000-139’ (not patented). Initially designated as ‘2005-23’, ‘HAWAIIAN EYE’ was derived from a single plant selected in 2005.
The new variety ‘HAWAIIAN EYE’ has large dark purple-green colored matte finish leaves with light purple colored venation and purple undulating leaf margin. ‘HAWAIIAN EYE’ produces uniform dark purple colored petioles when mature; young petioles are green to light burgundy in color. The leaves are ⅓ to ½ times larger than its female and male parents. The male parent exhibits greenish-purple colored leaves with a matte finish, a smooth margin, and light purple venation. The petioles are dark purple in color with a matte finish. The female parent exhibits smaller violet leaves with a purple spot on the upper leaf surface at the point of leaf and petiole attachment and an undulating margin. The petioles are of a dark purple in color. In these aspects, this new variety differs from its parents.
The closest comparison variety known to the inventor is ‘Pineapple Princess’ (patent application submitted), its closest commercial variety. ‘HAWAIIAN EYE’ produces large purple green colored, matte finish leaves with light purple colored venation and a purple slightly undulating leaf margin compared to ‘Pineapple Princess’ that produces a large yellow-green colored leaves with light purple veins, a matte finish, undulating purple leaf margins. ‘HAWAIIAN EYE’ produces uniform semi-glossy, dark purple colored petioles when mature compared with the light burgundy colored petioles of ‘Pineapple Princess’. ‘HAWAIIAN EYE’ is a medium to medium-large size plant compared with ‘Pineapple Princess’ which is a small to medium sized compact plant.
The most commonly employed means of asexual propagation of the genus Colocasia is the excision and replanting of a plant shoot which consists of the apical 1 cm-2 cm portion of the plant corm with the attached basal 15 cm-20 cm portion of the petiole. In regions of the world where Colocasia is grown, this plant shoot is known as a “huli”, and the means of propagation is known as “huli propagation”. Asexual propagation of hulis of ‘HAWAIIAN EYE’ began in 2005 in Hawaii by the inventor using huli propagation whereby the apical shoots are separated from the plant by cutting the shoot at the top of the corm immediately above the newest leaf scar and planted. Evaluation in field and pot studies have shown the unique features of ‘HAWAIIAN EYE’ to be stable, uniform, and reproduces true to type in successive generations of asexual propagation.